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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

13.0. OROGKER. ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

No. 597,799. Patented Jan. 25, 1898.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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E. C. CROGKER. ELHGTRIGI RAILWAY. No. 597,799. v Patented Jan. 25, 1898.

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the railway-car or with any contrivance car- UNITED STATES ATENT truce.

CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO EDWIN C. HOWE, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 597,799, dated January 25, 1898. Application filed April 23, 1897- Serial No. 633,498. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, EBEN O. ORocKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and Stateof Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railways; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain improvements in electric railways, and has reference particularly to railways of this description which employ a third rail for transmitting the operating-current to the car.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application, Figure 1 is an illustration of my improved electric-railway system in plan view, the insulated third-rail sections and the line-wire being shown, for the purpose of a clear understanding of my invention, on opposite sides of the magnets which I employ, although in practice such sections and wire are respectively immedi-. ately above and below said magnets; and Fig. 2, a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing a slightly-modified way of forming the circuits.

Similar letters and numbers of reference denote like parts in both figures of the drawings. It will therefore be borne in mind in considering the following description of my invention that the magnets are all in substantially the same horizontal plane and that the switches are positively operated and are not affected by gravity.

My improvement has nothing to do with ried thereby, and I have therefore merely shown in dotted lines any suitable shoe in contact with the sections of the third rail, through which shoe connection is made in the usual manner with the controller-box carried by the car.

1 are the insulated sections constituting the third rail, and 2 is the line-wire.

3 4: are ordinary electromagnets, which are supported in couplets upon any suitable insulated boxes or blocks 5 beneath the sections 1. The magnets of each couplet are substan tially opposite each other in a horizontal plane, and pivoted to the blocks 5 are switches 6, which extend between the magnets of each -couplet and are capable of being attracted by the poles of either magnet. These switches are made of iron, any suitable size and shape, and operate to close the circuit by engagement with the insulated contacts 7 S, which rise from the block 5.

- For the purpose of facilitating the further description of my invention I will hereinafter call the magnets 3 the rail-magnets, while the magnets 4 I will designate by the term line-magnets. There are as many couplets of these magnets as there are insulated sections of the third rail, and, referring to Fig. 1, both the rail and line magnets have one of their terminal coils connected, respectively, with the sections 1 and the line-wire 2, while the other terminal coils of these rail and line magnets are connected, respectively, to the contacts 8 7. line-magnet of each one of these couplets is in circuit with a succeeding contact, while the rail-magnet of each one of these couplets is in circuit with a preceding contact.

Referring to Fig. 1 and presupposing the contact-shoe 9 from the car to be resting upon the sectional rail abovewhich the sign appears in solid lines, it will be clear that the operating-current which is delivered to this rail is communicated from the line-wire at the point a, where the next preceding line-magnet connects with such wire. This will of course effect the energizing of this next pre ceding line-magnet, and the switch opposite the same will be thereby withdrawn from the contacts 7 S. It will also be noted that the rail-magnet immediately beneath the car-shoe will be energized, thus causing its switch to close the circuit against the contacts, and this will of course bring the succeeding railmagnet in circuit, so that when-the shoe has advanced and rests upon the railabove which appears the sign in dotted lines the circuit will be closed between this rail and the point I), where the next preceding line-magnet connects with the line-wire. The switch which is immediately beneath the car-shoe in its advanced position will of course be operated now to close the circuit, so as to bring the suc- It will thus be seen that the ceeding section 1 in circuit, and the line-magnet immediately above the point marked 7) will be energized and will effect the withdrawal of the opposite switch from the contacts, thus cutting out the couplet of magnets above the point a. I

It will accordingly be readily understood where the car-shoe has contact with a rail" takes in a rail-magnet and the next preceding line-magnet, and that said rail-magnet being energized will operate'its switch to make the proper connectionspvherebya succeeding circuit will be closed when the shoe 9 is upon a succeeding rail; but it will of course be obvious that using the same arrangement of magnets, contacts, and switches the circuits may be connected up in a different manner so as to produce the same results as above set forth, and I have therefore shown at Fig. 2 a slight modification in which the rail-magnets are in direct circuit with the next preceding line-magnets, while one of the contact-points is directly connected with an insulated rail in each instance, so that in this modified construction these rail-magnets precede the contact-points in the circuits. There is, however, no substantial difference between the constructions shown at Figs. 1 and 2, since in both instances the magnets of one series are in respective circuits with alternate magnets of the other series when the switches are closed.

From the foregoing description it will be clear that the section immediatelysucceeding that on which the shoe 9 rests will always be in connection with the line-wire, so that the circuit will be closed as soon as the shoe comes in contact with such section, and it will also be clear that the only completely-closed circuit will be that which passes through said shoe, and, moreover, there will be no connection between any of the rail-sections and the line-wire excepting the section in contact with the shoe and the section immediately succeeding.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an electric-railway system, comprising insulated third-rail sections, a line-wire and contact-shoe from the car traveling on said sections, the combination of the two series of magnets arranged in horizontally-disposed couplets, two contacts in proximity to each couplet, switches within the fields of the magnets of each couplet and capable of being operated in connection with said con tacts to close and open the circuits, the ma nets of one series being in respective circuits with alternate magnets of the other series In other words, 7

when said switches are closed, and connecti ons between the respective circuits and the line-wire and rails, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the insulated sec tions and the line-wire, with the two series of magnets arranged in horizontally-disposed couplets, a series of pivoted switches between the magnets of each'couplet and within the fields thereof,contact-points for said switches, the magnets of one series being respectively in circuit with alternate magnets of the other series when the switches are closed, and connections between the line-wire and said sections at the terminals of the various circuits. substantially as set forth.

3. In an electric-railway system, the combination of the insulated sections and the line-wire, with the two series of magnets arranged in horizontally-disposed couplets, the respective magnets of one series being in circuit with the respective alternate magnets or the other series when the circuits are closed, connections between the terminals of these circuits and the line wire and sections, and suitable switches operated by the magnets of each couplet for opening and closing the circuits in succession as the car advances, substantially as set forth.

4:. In an electric-railway system of the character set forth, the combination with the insulated rails and the line-wire, of a series of magnets arranged in couplets, the correspondiug magnets of each couplet being connected as to one terminal coil with said rails and linewire respectively, insulated contacts in pairs and in juxtaposition with said couplets, connections between said contacts and the other terminal coils of said magnets, and pivoted switches between the magnets of each couplet and operated by said magnets against or away from said contacts to close or open the circuit, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the insulated rails and with the line-wire, of the series of magnets arranged in couplets beneath each rail, the contacts in pairs in juxtaposition to each couplet, the pivoted switches between the magnets of each couplet and within the magnetic fields thereof and capable of being operated against or away from said contacts to close and open the various circuits, connections between each rail and one of the terminal coils of the'corresponding magnets of each couplet, connections between the other ter- IIO minal coils of these magnets and an immediately-preceding contact, connections between the line-wire and one of the terminal coils of the remaining magnets, and connections between the other terminal coils of these magnets and immediately-succeeding contacts, substantially as set forth. In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EBEN G. CROOKER. Witnesses:

F. W. SMITH, J r., M. T. LONGDEN. 

